Cops: Online prostitutes nabbed in airport hotel sting

Stephanie Farr

Giving new meaning to the term layover, six prostitutes who advertise their services online were nabbed during a sting at an airport hotel last week, according to police.

In April, Tinicum police responded to reports of a shooting inside of an airport hotel, said Sgt. James Simpkins Jr. Investigations revealed that the shot was fired when two people from Philadelphia robbed an escort at gunpoint, he said.

No one was injured by the gunfire and the thieves were eventually caught, but the incident prompted Tinicum police to become more proactive in cracking down on prostitution in the town, Simpkins said.

With the help of state police, the Delaware County District Attorney's Office and the FBI, Tinicum police set up a sting at an airport hotel on Thursday and booked five female prostitutes and one male prostitute through websites. Simpkins declined to identify the hotel where the sting went down or the websites through which the escorts were booked.

All six were charged with prostitution and disorderly conduct and one was also charged with minor drug offenses, police said.

"Our goal is to send a message," Simpkins said. "With prostitution goes violence and we don't want it here in Tinicum."

When asked about the distant addresses of some of the alleged escorts, Simpkins said while those were the addresses the suspects provided, it's unclear if the individuals actually live in those cities.